Monthly Archives: September 2012

This is my first blog entry – ever! So before I started to twist and turn over what to say and how to make a big, meaningful splash in the ever-growing blogosphere, I remembered to just begin by taking the first small step in the general direction that I am heading. Sometimes its helpful to dip a toe in and feel the water before diving in and sometimes I like to sit on the edge of the pool and inch in slowly until I can let go of the side of the pool and glide across the clear refreshing water and begin to swim. I must admit, I have not really planned this out but I read a term in the book Game Storming by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown and James Macanufo called “fuzzy goals” that refers to those goals that are not spelled out precisely but are instead based on intuition, hunches and guesses and that give a sense of direction and purpose while allowing for learning, experimentation, play and change to occur.

I am so glad to have a name for this kind of goal because it it truly fits how I typically begin new things. I have a picture or a feeling or a general purpose in mind and then I begin to connect the parts and people together by looking, reading, listening and in general noticing what ideas and themes emerge in my life and work. I imagine that my blog will contain topics that emerge from my conversations with my clients, colleagues, friends and even my children.

Right now I notice that many of us are working on how to manage our emotions so that we can speak and act in ways that serve us and others. Its easy to slip into reactive patterns when the terrain gets challenging. Its easy to lose sight of our goals and intentions and instead fall into old patterns.

What’s your fuzzy goal to help you to stay centered in the emotional chaos of today’s world and workplace? Even a one word intention said inside can bring you back to a better state of mind. A few days ago in my Yoga class the teacher asked us to create an intention for our practice that day. My first reaction was: “not sweat too much” (its hot yoga!) but I regrouped and decided on “Stability” as my intention for the class because the one-legged poses give me a bit of a challenge. I wobble, grope and try to stay in the pose while looking around to see if anyone else is in wobble form.. But on that day, I used my one word intention to return my focus to my center. Each time the wobble factor inched its way into my practice I remembered my word “Stability” and it helped my body-mind to focus on what I wanted to practice. It worked – repeatedly!

What do you want to begin to do in your work? What is the smallest, next step that you can take in that general direction – a fuzzy goal – that can give you purpose, and permission to follow your learning, intuition and experimentation towards your fuzzy goal? What one word intention can help you stay centered versus wobbling?

And, now – Just Begin – one toe, leg or dive into the pool of learning at work or in your life. Come in! We are all in this pool together.